All About Jane

If you are an avid reader of this blog, you may recall I won a prose contest in December through MANA publications. It was a second place victory for a half-finished story that I was scared to write. I blogged about fear and being motivated by fear, and now that I can reflect, I was more motivated by deadlines than fear. Finally fear took a back seat. I plan on keeping it in hindsight, too!

As of last week, All About Jane has been proposed as an ebook and hard copy. The hard copy will be published a month after the ebook. It includes discussion questions and an author interview and is being published by a textbook company called Robbie Dean Press.

Additionally my brother created a video promo for All About Jane, along with former students of mine. This is quite special to me since I called on a variety of my kids (who are now adults) and they all responded positively. It brought together students who have faced discrimination, bullying, intolerance, and various injustices. It brought together kids from the country, kids from Flint-town, and kids from overseas. It brought together kids from wealth, the middle class crew, and kids from poverty. It brought together kids from my first year of teacher to those I have taught recently.

And even more importantly, it brought my brother, Tanner Shay, and I together, collaboratively. He is in California and has been for the last seven years. I have only been there once. He comes home once a year. It is tough. This brought us closer together, if only for a few days, to talk, critique, imagine, and collaborate.

I hope you have a minute to watch our video. I hope you have a minute to reflect on the concept that we are all Jane, and my book is all about her, yet all about each one of us.